Gloves are taken off
Candidates try to land blows as poll nears
A SENIOR LNP Gold Coast MP has accused the Labor Party of “flying blind” on economic recovery at the first meeting of the city’s state election candidates.
The remarks by leading LNP campaigner Ros Bates have put her on a political collision course with Labor Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon.
COVID-19 recovery was put centre stage at a Meet t The Candidates breakfast t hosted by the Central Chamber of Commerce on Thursday morning. Twenty-three candidates attended.
Almost every sitting MP – bar Broadwater’s David Crisafulli and Surfers Paradise’s John-Paul Langbroek – and almost 100 members of the city business community were present.
Despite a diverse array of candidates the issue of Glitter Strip policing and the city’s climb back from the coronavirus crisis were hot topics.
Asked to speak on behalf of the Queensland LNP, Ms Bates accused Labor of having no plan for economic stimulus. “Labor and the government of Queensland is flying blind in our biggest economic crisis,” she said.
“Make no mistake, Queensland was in trouble well before COVID-19.
“The only plan that Annastacia Palaszczuk currently has is to keep the borders closed until Christmas.”
Asked to clarify the LNP position on the border, Ms
Bates said it would “always work on the health advice”.
The only sitting Labor MP on the Coast, Meaghan Scanlon hit back at Ms Bates’ accusation, listing a number of ALP projects she said had helped during a “difficult time”.
“Eleven hundred Gold Coast businesses have received $250,000 totalling $14m, just on the Gold Coast alone,” she said. “We’ve also provided businesses on the Gold Coast with grants of up to $10,000.
“We provide $500 electricity rebates to businesses just so they can keep the lights on. “We have the runs on the board and this election will be about who you trust, who has delivered for this city and who hasn’t.”
Other candidates stepped away from COVID fears in favour of other issues, with Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens saying: “This election is not just about coronavirus.”
Bonney MP Sam O’Connor, whose passionate use of
the word “grubs” regarding youth crime previously earned him a reprimand in parliament, first raised the issue of crime citywide.
“I’ve got people in Parkwood, Arundel doing patrols of their suburbs at night to keep themselves safe,” he said. “We’ve got people installing CCTV cameras and they’re just at their wits end.
“We really need a focus on
police resourcing and right laws behind it.”
Burleigh MP Michael Hart and rival Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, a late ALP preselection for the seat, came face-to-face for the first time at the breakfast.
Mr Hart said he believed the election would come down to “which party has the best outcome for the future and the biggest plans”.
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Mr Bartholomew named a number of businesses he had visited with Ms Palaszczuk when she announced him as the Burleigh candidate.
“There’s 1600 businesses across the Coast that were recipients of the (small business loan) and it’s been a huge relief just to get them back on their feet,” he said.
The Queensland election will be held on October 31.